You're Not the Only One
by Gimp1395
Summary: "I am not moping. I'm just, you know, sad." What really happened before, during, and after all those songs that Miley and Nick have written to/for/about/with each other? Find out! Niley!
1. Hello Beautiful

*waves* Hi guys! It has been a long time since I've written any fanfiction (more than 4 years now) but I have been incredibly inspired lately. So I wrote this up, figured I'd share it. If you guys like it, I was thinking I would make a little fanfic song series. So let me know what you think! This fic is based of the song Hello Beautiful. My interpretation of how it was written.

(_A.N. I know that Hello Beautiful was written and recorded in 2007, but for plot purposes, it was written in 2008_)

* * *

I'm not moping. I am not moping.

I'm just, you know, not extremely happy, at this current point in time. And I haven't really had an appetite, and I've been struggling with a couple songs, and I'm really short with the people that have tried to talk to me in the past few days. But I am not moping!

"What's up, grumpy?"

I hate him.

I look up to see Joe coming through the door of the tour bus, walking over to the table where I am currently, "I'm not grumpy."

The lift of his left eyebrow suggests that he doesn't really believe me, "So you're just sitting in here, all alone, looking all broody and 'Nick Jonas-like' and refusing food 'cause your happy?"

"Yeah, one big ray of sunshine, you are!" And that would be Kevin. Seriously, didn't I say I wanted to be left alone?

"Seriously, guys, I am not grumpy, I'm just – hey wait, what do you mean by 'Nick Jonas'?"

Joe chuckles, "You know, when you're in that mood you get where you look like a sad kid who's puppy just got run over."

"Or like the sad puppy that got run over," Kevin adds.

I roll my eyes, "I don't look like that. And I'm not refusing food, I'm just not hungry. And I'm sitting here by myself, or at least I was, because I'm trying to concentrate on this song."

Joe tears a piece from the muffin I didn't see him holding and tosses it at my face. Real mature. "Alright, alright, I got it Frobro, sorry I said anything." He then sits next to me, ruffling my recently trimmed curls. Why do I put up with him?

Kevin steps closer to the table, arms folded in front of him, "You really do need to eat, Nick. You know how Mom gets, she gets all worried and will try to force feed you and constantly check your levels. You have checked your levels, right?" Always the concerned big brother.

"Yes, I have, and I'm fine, really." I look up at him in reply, seeing the concern etched on his face, "And I promise, I'm not grumpy, I'm just trying to concentrate." I say as I look over at Joe, whose eyebrows are furrowed in worried. Its strange, the two of them like to pick on me constantly, but I catch them in these rare moments where I can plainly see how much they do care about me. It's oddly comforting.

"Do you want any help? We could toss around some ideas with you."

"Nah, it's alright. I've got the melody, I just, can't seem to find the words to go with it."

Kevin reaches forward, grabbing one of the many pieces of sheet music strewn around the table, "Well, it's clearly a love song. And you're brooding, or, sorry, _concentrating_, so there is one option."

Joe waggles his eyebrows my way, a playful grin on his face, "Oh, yeah! There is a certain brunette that always seems to inspire you, why don't you give her a call?!"

I look down, avoiding their piercing gazes, "She's busy. I already tried to call her."

"Oh, so that's why you've been moping!" Joe exclaims.

Kevin rolls his eyes, "Joe, it wasn't that hard to figure out, I could've told you that before we came in here."

Once again, I am not moping; and now these two are starting to piss me off, "Alright, seriously, I need to keep working on this, can you two please leave me-"

"Miley's song? Is this what you've been struggling with?" My ears perk at the name, and I look over to see sheet music with that title scrawled in my chicken scratch across the top.

I jump at Joe, snatching it out of his hand "Joe! Give that back!"

Joe jumps out of my reach, running to the other side of the bus, where the bunks are, giggling the whole way, quoting lines from the paper, "'Hey wonderful, how you doin'?' This how you snatched her up, Nick?"

I chased after him, running into him full force and taking him to the ground, "Seriously Joe! That's not for you!"

"Boy I hope not! I wouldn't fall for that line anyway!"

As we roll around on the floor, fighting for possession of the page, Kevin leans against the table, crossing his arms and gives a big sigh, "'Be in a band with your brothers', Dad says. 'It'll be fun', he says."

I am finally able to wrestle the paper from Joe's hand, running back to the table with it in my possession and essentially hiding behind Kevin.

"You know, it needs work, but that does sound like the beginnings of a good song, Nick." Kevin comments, while Joe stomps over, huffing and puffing.

"Hey, you cheated! You know I'm ticklish in my ankles."

"it's not cheating, it's called leverage. And, besides, it's my song." I retort, returning to my seat and trying to smooth out the now crumpled lyrics against the table.

It's quiet in the bus for a moment, an extremely rare occurrence when the three of us are together. I can feel the two of them watching me, but don't dare to look up. There are two of the three people that know me best in this world, and as much as I would like to think that I'm good at hiding my emotions, I'm really not.

The silence is once again broken by Joe, this time his voice takes on a soft tone, "It's hard on you, isn't it? Not being able to be with her, and trying to keep your relationship a secret at the same time."

Kevin adds, "We know you miss her, it's been a few months. And with her being so busy with her show…"

"And with her pretending to be with that Justin kid—"

"It's fine, okay? I'm fine!" I interrupt, involuntarily exploding. "We're fine, we have to keep the relationship a secret cause of the media and everything, and the only reason she's still "with' ___him_is to keep everyone's nose out of her business!"

"But it upsets you still, doesn't it?" Despite my raised voice and angry tone, Joe keeps his calm, "Even though they're not technically dating anymore, they were when you guys broke up the first time. That's gotta sting."

"Have you thought about getting your own pretend girlfriend, making things a little easier?"

"No, okay?!" I don't know when I stood up, but I'm now on my feet, pacing back and forth in the small space, arms moving around frantically, "Look, we both agreed that we were gonna make this work, and we both agreed that her pretending to still be with him we help us hide things, and she suggested I do the same, but I just…I can't." I stop mid-step, looking towards two sets of browns identical to mine, "every girl I'm with, or I try to be with, I can't stop thinking about her. I mean, that's the reason I tried to win her back in the first place. And I thought I was fine with the whole 'Justin' thing, and I guess I am, but just knowing that he gets to hold her hand and hear her laugh and watch her smile every day and I only get to once every few months…"

I feel a hand on my shoulder, looking up to find Kevin with a slight smile on his face, "We get that it's hard Nick. We do. But….you have to know that the girl loves you just as much as you love her."

"You really think so?"

Joe chuckles slightly, "Would ___you_put up with you if you felt otherwise?"

That brings a smile to my face, "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"We'll leave you to it." Kevin gives my shoulder another squeeze before heading for the door.

Joe gives me a pat on the back, "Just promise us you'll eat something, please?"

I grin, "Yeah, I'll head out in a little bit. Save me some of those sugar-free blueberry muffins, will ya?"

Joe looks back, a scowl on his face and his nose turned up, "Dude those things are nasty. They're all yours!" He shouts over his shoulder, the door closing behind him.

Silence, once again.

Okay, I am totally moping. It's just-you'd be grumpy too if the girl you loved were on the other side of the country and pretending to be in love with some older, hairy version of you. And there's the fact that she hasn't answered any of my calls in the past few days. I mean, I get that Hannah takes up most of her time, but is really that hard to -

___The 7 things I like about you!_

___Your hair, your eyes, your old Levi's_

I look over to see my phone lighting up on my bunk on the other side of the room. Yeah, it might be weird that my ringtone for my girlfriend is the hate song she wrote for me, but I find it romantically ironic. Although, it does make things kind of obvious. Maybe I should change that.

"Hello?" I answer, slightly out of breath.

I'm answered by her giggling, and suddenly, the world seems brighter, "Were you running a marathon or something?"

"No! I mean, no, I just, was on the other side of the room and didn't wanna miss you." I don't just mean her call.

"Well, darn, I was hoping your phone was attached to your ear, eagerly awaiting my call."

I rub the back of my neck, even though she can't see me, "Yeah, well, a guy can only wait so long for his girlfriend to call him back before other necessities take over, like sleeping and the bathroom."

"Yeah, about that. I'm so sorry I haven't called you back in the last few days, but Hannah's been crazy, and then my parents took my phone away cause I was out with Justin til like 12:30, and then—"

"What were you doing out with Justin until after midnight?" I interrupted, feeling myself getting angry.

"Well, I was…."

"What, making out in his car until all hours of the night?!" I shout, my blood starting to boil.

"Nick, before you get too upset—"

I interrupt once more, "Oh, gee, why on Earth would that make me upset?"

There are a few moments of silence on the other end, then, "Nick, I'm not going to argue with you. I can call you back later once you've calmed down."

"No wait!" Who knows when either of us will get time again? "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have jumped like that," the anger gone from my voice and my tone softer, "Please. Go ahead."

"He took me out to dinner and a movie, and we got caught up by some paparazzi, which made us later. And, yes, in the spirit of honesty, we kissed a little in his car, but what was I supposed to do? I barely let the guy near me, especially when we're alone, but for one thing, the paparazzi was right there, and for another thing, the guy is sacrificing a lot to help me, it was the least I could do. I'm really sorry, you have no idea, by what choice did I have?"

I keep quiet, holding the bridge of my nose with two fingers and closing my eyes. As difficult as this all is for me, I always forget how much worse it is for her. I'm on tour, so the media doesn't really have time to hound me. But her? They know where she is, exactly where and exactly what time every day of the week. It's impossible to avoid them. And she ___is_dating the guy, at least to the rest of the world. It makes perfect sense to kiss your boyfriend in his car after a date. She's just playing her part. And the guys she's actually dating is getting pissed at her for it. Wow, some boyfriend I am.

"Princess, I'm so sorry. I just…it drives me nuts, you and him together, but I know that you have to, that we agreed on it, and it's not right of me to yell at you. Especially since we haven't talked in a while. I'm just struggling with these last few songs for the new record and they're not coming together, not that that's an excuse, and I…I'm sorry."

"…have I ever told you how much I like it when you call me Princess?" I can hear her smile through the phone, which paints an even bigger one on my face.

"Really, Miles? That's what you got from all that?"

"You're also really cute when you rant."

I laugh, "You know I hate it when you call me cute."

"Well, you are! Does sexy suit better?" Her voice takes on a teasing tone.

I feel my face getting red, "Alright, we're changing the subject."

Her giggle fills my ear once more, "I can totally see you blushing."

I smile, "How is it back there in Cali?"

"You're not here, so it sucks."

"Yeah, the rest of America is cool and all, but it's kinda dull without those blue eyes of yours to look into."

Now I can hear her blushing, "Was that a sentimental line that Nick Jonas said? My Nicholas? And it wasn't part of a song? Well, it must be my lucky day!"

"Ha ha, you know I can be sweet when I wanna be!"

"And you are, to me, always." I can't help the smile that stretches across my face. "Hey I gotta go, have some interview to do, and I can't exactly say I was late because I was too busy talking on the phone with my incredible handsome boyfriend."

I let out another laugh, even though I'm sad she has to go, "Well, then your incredibly handsome boyfriend will let you go."

"Call me when you're done with the show tonight?"

"Always. I love you beautiful."

"Love you too Nicky." And then she's gone.

And just like that, my day is the best I've had in weeks. Amazing what hearing that girl's can do to me. But what I wouldn't give to see her eyes and her smile again. Huh. I look down at the crumpled paper with her name on it, and I'm suddenly struck with an idea.

I erase my previous words, scratching in ___Hello Beautiful, How's it goin'? _in their place.

Joe was right. Calling that beautiful brunette was inspiring. I'm definitely not moping now.


	2. 7 Things

Thanks to all that read and reviewed! I hope you like this one! I will take requests if someone would like to see a specific song.

* * *

"Miley?"

"Yeah?" I reply as I look up. A smile stretches its way across my face as my boyfriend steps through the door. "Hey babe!" I lean towards the edge of the bed, awaiting my hello kiss.

You'll understand my surprise when that doesn't happen. Justin hovers near the door, one hand in his pocket, the other rubbing at the back of his neck. Well that looks familiar.

"Uh oh. What'd I do?"

"Nothing!" His eyes shoot up, meeting my for the first time since he's entered. He grins slightly, a sort of reassuring gesture, though I'm not sure which of us it is directed towards, me or himself. "I just, uh, had a kind of weird morning, I guess."

I pat the bed next to me, "Well, tell me about."

He doesn't budge. "Something tells me you know what its about."

I quirk my eyebrow at him, "Does it look like I'm in the know?"

He just shrugs. Great, more non-verbal responses. I thought I wouldn't have to deal with that anymore.

"Okay...so why don't you tell me?" Silence. "What if I guess? Can you tell me yes or no? Or nod? Or something?" More shrugging. Wow.

"Fine. Did you not get to finish recording that song you were working on?" Shake of the head. "Okay, do you not feel good?" Another shake. "Did you run out of white v-necks?" He just gives me a look before staring off to some spot on one side of my bed. Yeah, that joke's never been a hit. "Do you wanna break up?"

His eyes shoot back up to mine in surprise, "What?! No, don't be crazy."

"Ha! I got words out of you!" I giggle. He gives me a small smile, but it doesn't reach his eyes.

I was expecting him to finally tell me what's going on. But, alas, more silence. This is getting us nowhere. I climb off the bed to my feet and cross over to him.

"Seriously, Justin, what is going on?" I grab at his wrists, trying to catch his attention. He lifts his eyes, but before he reaches my eyes, they stay trained on my neckline.

Really? Right now? Not the best time, don't ya think?

"Hello? Earth to Justin!" I give my fingers a couple snaps, trying to bring him back from his trace on my boobs.

He lifts a finger, touching the dog-tag that hangs from my neck, "I saw your video earlier."

I look down where his eyes are, finally understanding. I never notice when I'm wearing this damn thing anymore, it feels like habit now, I'll just put it on. The metal isn't even cold to me anymore.

"The 7 Things video?" I'm surprised by how low my voice sounds, like that of a child.

He lets out a sigh, "Mandy was surprised when she heard that I've never seen it, and just _had_ to show me."

I drop his wrist, turning away from him and pacing towards the center of the room. I don't really know what to say to him. There's a reason I've never showed him that. I mean, yeah, he's heard rumors, but he's so good at ignoring stuff like that, I didn't think it was important. And so what? Yeah, I wrote a song about my ex-boyfriend and sort of, kind of based the video on him. What, like that's never been done in the history of music before? This is the same ex that haven't spoken to in almost a year, unless absolutely necessary for some stupid Disney thing. We're nothing! The dog-tag...well, I don't have an explanation for that.

"I've never really notice before. How much you actually wear it." His quiet voice cuts through my internal monologue. I turn back to him, noting that he is now staring me in the eye, his posture straight and chest puffed out. Gone is the sad puppy in my doorway from a few minutes ago, "Why, exactly, do you wear it so much, Miles?"

That certainly caught me off guard. "Well I - uh, I don't really do it on purpose?" I mentally slap myself for the stuttering and the question at the end.

"'Don't really do it on purpose'? That's your answer?" He takes a couple steps forward, and I'm actually kind of scared at the look in his eyes. There's anger, but also a hint of fear there.

"Look, Justin, honestly, it doesn't mean anything, I promise."

"That's why you decided to include it in the damn music video about him?!" A couple more steps forward. I back up in response, the back of my legs hitting the edge of my bed.

"Maybe it meant something for a music video, but it doesn't now, okay?" I feel my voice raise slightly and remind myself that he does have reason to be upset here, and yelling back at him isn't going to help.

"Fine, then why do you still wear it?"

"It was a gift!"

He huffs, crossing his arms in front of his chest, "A gift? It's a piece of metal from a guy that doesn't mean anything to you anymore. Its junk."

Okay. Now I'm pissed.

I push myself forward, looking him straight in his eyes as my finger jabs in his chest, "First of all, it's not junk. It is something that is extremely important to him, and he gave it to me before we even broke up! Second of all, you have no right coming in here and spouting off crap that you know nothing about! You don't know what went on between us, so don't try to pretend you do." I turn again, pacing again in the middle of the floor and unconsciously twirling the tag in my fingers.

There are a few moments of silence, and then I feel his hand on my shoulder. "You're right. I don't know what happened, and I didn't mean to upset you. But, Miles, you don't ever want to talk about it. I ask you if you want to vent about it, get it off your chest, and you won't. You can't even say his name. Mandy doesn't even really know what happened. But, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have come at you like that, before knowing the story."

I sigh, leaning back into his hold. He has a point, several of them, actually. And they are all good ones. But...I just can't open up to anyone about that. Hell, I wrote a chapter in my book about it, the whole planet knows what happened between the two of us, but there are still those little details, the ones that mean the most and hurt even more. And I still can't talk about it with the people closest to me.

I cross over to my dresser, moving my locks to one side and moving to unclasp the dog-tag from around my neck.

"Miley-"

"Shh." I interrupt him. I lay the metal on top of the dresser, its accompanying chain fanned out around the tag, creating a fan-like effect. I take a deep breath, then turn around and smile towards him.

"You are my boyfriend. And you are the one I love, no one else." I am now in front of him, my arms sneaking around his neck. "If all your asking is that I don't wear the necklace anymore, than that's the least I can do."

He smiles, and this time it stretches to his eyes, "Thank you baby. But you really didn't have to do that."

"You know," I ignore his comment, "you haven't kissed me hello yet."

His face takes on an expression of mock horror. "How dare I! Get over here."

His kisses are slow, and sweet. Just like him. If I'm being honest, I really don't deserve him. He is calm and understanding. He deals with all my ridiculous dramatics, and my crazy nature. There's no constant arguing. No heated arguments and walking away and threats of breaking up with no real intent behind them. No intensity, or passion. No, wait. Stop Miley. There is passion. Justin is passionate. It's just, you know, the subtle kind.

God, I hate that he can still have this effect on me. It's just a damn necklace.

Justin pulls away, a smile plastered on his face, "You know, I could probably see that video a second time, come to think of it." He moves himself to the edge of my bed, pulling my computer into his lap. "You looked kind of hot in it." He sends a wink and a chuckle my way.

I giggle at his remark and move to sit next to him. See, winks are signs of passion. Everything is okay. I move my collarbone, a nervous and bored habit I've developed over time. The absence of the feeling of metal and etched letters takes me by surprise. I quickly take my hand away and put it on Justin's leg as he turns to me, and shoot him a smile. He returns one, then pulls his eyes back to the screen. I look down at my collar as the sound of my voice fills the room. I look over, catching the clasp of the chain dangling from the top of the dresser.

The cold and naked feeling that passes through me is almost too much to bear.

* * *

"So, Miley, it's been a while!"

I smile, "Yeah, it has! How've you been Ryan?"

Ryan Seacrest shoots me one of his charming smiles, "Can't complain! But what I really wanna talk about is how _you've_ been. Judging by the latest video, I'd say you're a little angry."

Damn him for being so good at his job. I let out a chuckle, "Yeah, I guess it gives off that vibe, huh?"

"I'd say! For those just tuning in, we're sitting here with Miley Cyrus, talking about her new single and hit music video, 7 Things. Now Miley, I read in an interview that this is not actually hate song, but a love song. Why don't you tell us a little bit about that?"

I let out a deep sigh, "Right to it, huh Ryan? No 'how's the family? You're looking very tan today.' Nothin'?"

He lets out a big laugh, "You know me!"

"Well, to answer your question, you are right. I originally wrote down this song as a way to get out all my anger about a bad breakup, but once I got it all out, I realized that this person was a person that I still loved and cared a lot about, and even though you have things that you may not like about a person, that may make you angry, those things are nothing compared to all the things you like about them. So this song is really for any girl, or even guy, that feels the same way about who they love."

"Now, this "bad breakup' wouldn't happen to involve a younger brother of a very popular boy band, who happens to go by Nick, would it?"

The name sends a cold shiver straight down my spine, "You wouldn't be implying anything, wouldya Ryan?"

He laughs his boisterous laugh, "I am anything but subtle!"

Sounds like someone else I know. "Well, I won't say who its about, but I did try to include aspects of this past relationship, different letters I've received from them and flowers, jewelry and other gifts. It really made it that more special."

"Does this jewelry include a metal dog-tag, possibly?"

I giggle, deciding to toss him a bone, "Possibly, Ryan. Possibly."

"The same dog-tag that you're wearing right now?"

I freeze. My fingers find their way to my collarbone where, sure enough, they are met with those etched letters. Crap. I don't even remember putting it on this morning. I only let myself lose focus for a split second, not long enough for anyone but myself to notice. "Actually no, this is a different one! They look this same, but this one is actually a present that my boyfriend, Justin got me for our 4 month anniversary."

I don't know how, but Ryan actually believes it. Thank god for radio shows, if the fans saw this, there would be no fixing it. "Well that's very sweet of him! Let's talk about this boyfriend of yours for a minute, shall we?"

"My favorite subject!" I put up a big grin for him. Well, that was close.

* * *

"That's a wrap folks!"

Thank. God. Don't get me wrong. I love Hannah and all, and I've got the best cast and crew a girl could ask for. But 4 hours in that damn wig is enough to make you wanna scrub your head in the shower for days.

"Hey Miles, great scene today!" I turn to find Emily coming up to me. This girl is the best. She finished filming hours ago, but after I told her about my Ryan Radio fiasco this morning, she's been hanging around to shoo off any bloodthirsty bloggers or interviewers looking into it. Seriously. The best.

I give her a big hug, "Thanks! And thanks for playing bodyguard, I can't handle anymore question today."

"Any time! Hey, some of us are going to try that new frozen yogurt place a couple blocks from here. Wanna go! I heard they have strawberry, your favorite!"

I give her a big smile. I seriously don't deserve the amazing friends I have, "Aww, Em! I'd love to, but I have this big meeting with Disney in like, 20 minutes. Something about a big collaboration, I dunno." She gives me a big puppy dog pout, eliciting a big giggle from me, "But you guys go! Let me know what toppings they have, and we'll pig out tomorrow."

That gets her to smile, "Okay, see you tomorrow, love ya!" She gives me a kiss on the cheek and then she's gone.

After changing into my own closes and grabbing the schedule for tomorrow's shoot, I'm heading up to one of the many conference rooms in the Disney building. I hate these stupid meeting they have us do. They get us all together and tell us what a 'great job' we're doing, then give us a packet full of things we could do to make it better. Concerts, TV shows, songs, duets with other Disney Stars. Especially the duets with other stars. It's like we're all part of a prostitution ring, it's so sad.

I round the corner, but am halted by the sound of a chuckle. Not just any chuckle, an extremely rare chuckle that is deep and raspy, and could only come from one person. I look up from my cellphone to see Nick, Selena and Demi joking around in the hall outside one of the rooms.

Oh no. Not good.

You see, Demi I'm fine with. That girl is awesome, she doesn't try to start anything with anyone, and she's got a lot going on with her, so I really feel for her. She a good friend. Selena, on the other hand, I could do without. Sure, nothing that happened was really her fault. But, she did swoop in and suddenly became 'best friends' with Nick as soon as I was out of the picture. Starring in their video, hanging out with him all the time. And no one is that innocent and flawless all the time. Give me a break.

I can't even go there with him. It pisses me off that I notice how damn good he looks right now.

This all processes through my brain in about .05 seconds, and before I catch any of them looking my way, I turn and go the other way. I find myself running right into the arms of another Jonas.

"Hey Miley! What-"

I quickly cover Joe's mouth before he can get another word out and drag him into the nearest supply closet with me. I shut the door, leaning against it and letting out short breaths. The light above flickers on, and I'm met with a very confused Joe, eyebrows quirked up so high they meet his hair line.

"What...the hell was that?"

"I - uh, hey, what's up Joe?" I give him a weak punch in the arm, "Just wanted to get some quality time with you! It's been a while!"

Joe's not having it. "Uh huh. I'm gonna take a wild guess, and say that you are trying to avoid a certain brother of mine?"

I rub at the back of my neck, "Who, Kevin? Why-why would I want to do that? That's ridiculous!"

He crosses his arms over his chest, eyebrows still show up.

"Yeah, I didn't believe me either."

He lets out a chuckle, "Miles, why don't you just go up and say hi? It has been a while, he misses you too."

"It's not that easy! There's Justin, and Selena, and the whole '7 Things' thing, and-wait, he misses me?"

Joe's chuckle is even louder this time, "Same old Miley. I'm glad you haven't changed."

I send him a sad, genuine smile. "I've missed you guys, all of you. It feels like everything is so different now."

He pulls me into his chest, giving me a big Joe-bear hug. "Not as much as we all have missed you. Trust me. And as far as Nick goes, he was a little upset about 7 Things for about thirty seconds until he saw his dog-tag around your neck. And then another minute and a half until it turned into a love song."

I groan, pulling away to look up at him, "But everything is such a mess, and we didn't really resolve anything. Plus, he's with Selena."

Joe shakes his head, "Not anymore. They were actually never together. They liked each other and went on a couple dates, but Nick has this complex, so they're still friends but nothing more."

"Nick has a complex?"

"Yeah, its' called the 'I still love Miley but am too stubborn to do anything about so I'm going to use this other girl to make Miley jealous until the other girl realizes it and I realize I'm a big doofus' complex. We just call it the 'Miley complex' for short."

I let out a snort, "Same old Joe."

He sends me a big smile, "Well, we better get going, wouldn't wanna keep the big stuffys waiting! I'll save you a seat, you know, so it doesn't have to be awkward." He sends me a wink and a smile and then walks off.

I repeat. I don't deserve the awesome people in my life.

I take a deep breath in and then out, straighten myself and then walk out the door. As I exit the closet, I run into a different Jonas' arms; these one's much more familiar.

"Oh! Sorry! I didn't..." Damn those warm chocolate orbs. Made me lose my train of thought. "I didn't see you."

Nick has a look of surprise on his face, "It's fine, I kinda snuck up on you. What were you doing in the supply closet with Joe?"

"Oh, just small talk."

He lets out that deep chuckle, "Same old Miley."

"Why do you guys keep saying that?!"

He chuckles again, looking me right in the eyes, "I've missed you Miles."

It is then that I realize our close proximity and the fact that he is still holding my wrists from when he stopped me from falling earlier. A silence falls over us as brown meets blue, the land meets the ocean. He has the same twinkle that I remember. And he still smells the same, a mixture of wood and something uniquely Nick. He's gotten bigger, not only in height, but he has definitely filled out in his muscles. His hair is shorter, and trust me, I approve. There's still enough curls to rung your fingers through and what am I doing?

I clear my throat and step away from him, "Um, so you looked like you were looking for me, so what's up?"

He looks down and rubs the back of his neck, looking at the ground. Ah, there he is. The boy I know is still hiding under the man he's becoming. "Yeah, I just wanted to let you know the meeting's about to start and..." He trails off. I look up to find his eyes trained on the chain around my neck. I really have to stop wearing this damn thing.

"Oh, gosh, I'm sure you want thing back, huh?" I push aside my hair to unclasp the tag when his hand settles on my elbow, stilling my motion.

"No, really, it's okay. It was a gift."

I look him in the eyes, "Nick, this is yours. It was a gift from when I was your girlfriend but I'm not...that, anymore."

The intensity of his eyes is enough to make the brown look almost black, "Yeah, I know. You that to someone else now, huh?"

Now is not the time to bring Justin into this, "I'm sorry, do you have a problem with my boyfriend?"

He scoffs, "Who me? No! Of course not! I'm actually kind of flattered, you trying to replace me."

My eyes widen, "Excuse me? What are you talking about?!"

He laughs, "Seriously Miles? You picked out a guy with brown eyes, brunette hair, who is a musician that plays the guitar?"

"You are ridiculous!"

"You're just mad 'cause I'm right!

I clench my fists, "You forgot that he wears those stupid white V-necks all the damn time like you do!"

He looks appalled, taking a step towards me a strengthening his stance, "I do not wear those all the time! And you just admitted that he's just like me!"

Crap. Yeah, I did.

I once again realize how close we are. Both of our hands are at our sides, my clenched in fists and his slightly shaking. We are both red in the face and breathing heavy, our faces mere inches away from each other. I can't help but steal a glace at his lips. His pouty lips where I can practically see the quick breaths escaping. I glance back up to see him looking at mine as well, before looking back up at me.

This is it. Passion. This is what I'm missing.

I take a step back while breathing in deeply. I need to not be so close to him right now. I unclasp the chain and put it in his hand, closing his fingers around it. I look into his eyes briefly, "It was the best gift I've ever gotten, but its yours, and I don't deserve it."

He's still looking at the ground as I walk around him and towards the conference room.

"The seventh thing."

I stop dead, turning on my heel. He's looking at the chain in his hand, and I'm not entirely sure I heard him right. But, he looks back up at me, chocolate brimmed with red. Brown meets blue, land meets ocean.

"The seventh thing, you make me love you?"

I continue to look into his eyes, not trusting my voice to reply. He slowly walks forward, eyes staying locked on me, until we are inches away once more. He takes my hand, a bold move, and takes a deep breath before speaking again,

"The seventh thing, for me, is the other six things too."

He stares for a moment longer, before letting my hand go and entering the conference room. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. I look down at my hand, eyes meeting the metal and chain that I know so well. It still feels warm to the touch. I run my thumb over the letters before shoving it in my pocket and entering the room.

Damn Nick Jonas and his damn beautiful dog tag.


End file.
